Opponent: San Antonio Spurs
When: 7 p.m.
Where: KeyArena, Seattle
TV: KONG (ch. 6/16)
Radio: KJR (950 AM)
Probable starters: For Seattle – forwards Vin Baker (6 feet, 11 inches) and Rashard Lewis (6-10), center Calvin Booth (6-11), guards Brent Barry (6-6) and Gary Payton (6-4). For San Antonio – forwards Tim Duncan (7-0) and Bruce Bowen (6-7), center David Robinson (7-1), guards Steve Smith (6-8) and Antonio Daniels (6-4).
Next game: Utah at Seattle, 6 p.m. Saturday.
Scouting report: Though Tim Duncan and David Robinson are back, the Spurs are missing several familiar faces from the past few years. Guard Avery Johnson went to Denver in an offseason deal, Sean Elliott retired after a full season following his comeback from kidney transplant surgery, and Derek Anderson ended up in Portland.
Still, with a lineup that includes Duncan, Robinson and newly acquired Steve Smith, San Antonio should be every bit as formidable as a year ago, when it led the Western Conference with a 58-24 record and advanced to the conference finals.
“They’ve still got those two big guys,” Sonics guard Gary Payton said of the 7-0 Duncan and the 7-1 Robinson. “They’re still an elite team.”
Smith, meanwhile, is one of the league’s premier perimeter shooters and should help ease defensive congestion around Duncan and Robinson.
“Steve Smith helps them a lot,” said Seattle’s Vin Baker. “I think he’s a bigger (outside) threat for them than Derek Anderson was. We’re going to have to pay attention to him, but the keys are Tim and David, obviously.”
Medical report: Seattle’s Rashard Lewis missed the second half of Tuesday’s opener against Sacramento with a bruised shoulder, but returned to practice on Wednesday and is expected back in the starting lineup for tonight’s game.
Baker (back) and center Calvin Booth (ankle) played against Sacramento despite nagging injuries, but both went through Wednesday’s workout and are continuing to improve.
Getting over a loss: Sonics coach Nate McMillan said his players were hurting after Tuesday’s loss at Sacramento and the sadness continued into Wednesday’s practice. Which is fine to a point, he said.
“We have a young team, and I don’t think they really know how to respond to a loss,” McMillan said. “That’s part of learning. You can get really down on yourself, but we have 81 games to go. That’s a part of growing up. Not necessarily to forget (the loss), but to put it in the back of your mind and come in the next day and move forward.
“We just have to grow up, put it behind us and worry about (tonight’s game with San Antonio),” he said.
Opening night: Like the rest of the NBA, the Sonics have several special activities planned for tonight’s home opener. There will be a tribute to the events of Sept. 11 along with several fan-appreciation types of events. Several Sonics stars of years past are expected to greet fans at the doors, and Seattle guard Brent Barry will address the crowd after the player introductions.
That’s a fact: Tonight’s game features two of the five NBA players who have spent all of their NBA careers (at least 11 years) with one team. Payton has been with the Sonics for 11 seasons and Robinson has played 12 seasons for the Spurs.
The others are Utah’s John Stockton (18 seasons) and Karl Malone (16 seasons), and Indiana’s Reggie Miller (14 seasons).
Rich Myhre
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